Project Summary Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a debilitating, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a gradual loss of speech and language function. A growing body of evidence has emerged examining the nature of speech and language deficits in addition to the benefits of speech-language intervention in PPA. However, most of this research has focused on expressive language processing, with little attention paid to receptive language abilities, particularly at the level of connected speech. Moreover, there is no research investigating the potential for transfer of treatment-induced gains to receptive language processing following expressive language intervention. The long-term objectives of this project are to a) assess receptive speech processing abilities in PPA using behavioral and neuroimaging methods, and b) to examine generalization of treatment effects to receptive language following expressive language intervention in PPA. The study has three main goals: 1) to investigate the relation between gray matter volumes and speech processing in PPA using carefully constrained speech processing tasks and voxel-based morphometry, 2) to characterize speech processing deficits in PPA using a continuous speech processing task and EEG, and 3) to document treatment-induced changes in speech processing in PPA using behavioral and EEG data. In order to accomplish these aims, 20 individuals with PPA will be recruited who will undergo a comprehensive cognitive- linguistic evaluation and structural and functional neuroimaging (structural MRI, EEG). Subsequently, participants will be enrolled in an established speech-language intervention targeting word retrieval, after which behavioral and EEG testing will be repeated. State-of-the-art neuroimaging methodology will be used to determine neural predictors of speech processing abilities in patients as well as changes in brain function that result from treatment. These findings have the potential to inform behavioral intervention in PPA by elucidating the effect of expressive language treatment on the ability to understand spoken language. This project will provide the applicant with a unique training experience, which will include the development of the necessary skills for a) implementation of behavioral treatment research in individuals with progressive aphasia and related disorders, b) acquisition, analysis and interpretation of structural and functional neuroimaging data, and c) data analysis techniques for small samples. The applicant?s sponsors and collaborators will provide valuable expertise and mentorship in the areas of intervention research, structural and functional neuroimaging, experimental design, and statistical methodology. Together, these experiences will prepare the applicant for an independent research career.